| 1812 Overture |
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The 1812 Overture is an orchestral work by Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky commemorating the unsuccessful French Invasion into Russia , and the subsequent devastating withdrawal of Napoleon 's Grande Armée , an event that marked 1812 as the major turning point of the Napoleonic Wars . The work is best known for the sequence of Cannon fire, which is sometimes performed, especially at outside festivals, using real cannons. Although the composition has no historical connection with the War Of 1812 between the United States and the United Kingdom , it is often performed in the US alongside other patriotic music. The overture debuted in the Cathedral Of Christ The Saviour in Moscow on August 20 , 1882 . OVERVIEW The overture is a piece of Program Music . It opens with the somber tones of a Russian Church chant, recalling the declaration of war announced at Church services in Russia, and is then immediately followed by a solemn chant for Russian success in the war. This announcement and public reaction was captured in Leo Tolstoy 's '' War And Peace ''. A theme representing marching armies follows, performed by the Horn s. The Russian Folk Dance theme commemorates the battle beating back Napoleon. The retreat from Moscow late in October 1812 is reflected by a Diminuendo . The firing of Cannon reflects the military advances toward the French borders. With the end of the conflict over, we return to the chant, this time performed by the full orchestra with a peal of bells for the victory and the liberation of Russia from French occupation. Below the cannon and the marching theme, we hear the Russian national anthem, '' God Save The Tsar ''. The Russian anthem is a counterpart to the French anthem that was heard earlier. In 's opera Ivan Susanin . The actual cannon blasts prescribed by Tchaikovsky are usually rendered using a bass drum. Less frequently strongly accented snare drum diminuendos can be heard. Cannon fire has been used in some cases, however, and was first laid down on a recording by the Minneapolis Symphony Orchestra in the 1950s . Subsequent similar recordings have been made by other groups, exploiting the advances in audio technology. Cannon fire is used annually on the Fourth Of July by the Boston Pops during their annual Concert on the shores of the Charles River and by the National Symphony Orchestra during their annual concert on the steps of the US Capitol Building . In addition, cannons are used during the Australian Defence Force Academy's annual passing out parade in Canberra, Australia. In the mid-1960s, Igor Buketoff wrote an arrangement of the "1812 Overture" with Chorus . The opening segment was sung by voices as a sung Chant instead of being played by Cellos and Violas , the children's chorus was added to the Flute and Cor Anglais , and the full chorus was mixed into the winds--the entire orchestra, in fact--in the closing segment. A tribute to this song is heard on Rush 's 2112 Overture. APPEARANCES IN POPULAR CULTURE (these appearances mainly refer to the part of the composition in which cannons can be heard)
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